Dark Vengeance
by afitwilight
Summary: Nick is shot during in the cross fire between suspects of a murder and the officers on the scene. Now the rest of the team has to find out who was responsible.


The moon cast shadows through the bedroom window, while the curtains were gently tossed by the night's air. Sara was asleep on her side of the bed. She turned over and reached her hand out. She opened her eyes when she didn't feel Nick beside her. She glanced at the alarm clock resting on the table beside of the bed. The bright red numbers showed that it was 2:15 a.m. Her mind began to wake up reminding her that it was her night off and that Nick was at work. Yawning, she pulled the covers up to her shoulders and tried to go back to sleep. A few minutes later her phone rang, waking her up from her daze. She grabbed the phone and held it against her ear. "Hello?" She mumbled not quite fully awake yet.  
  
"Sara." The voice on the other end said.  
  
"Grissom?" She leaned up and sat back against the headboard. She knew immediately that something was wrong. "What's going on?"  
  
"Sara." He told her calmly. "There's been an accident."  
  
"What?" Her mind was trying to register what he was telling her. "What kind of accident?"  
  
"Nick was at a crime scene when shots were fired."  
  
Sara jolted out of the bed. "Is he okay?" She began to gather her clothes as fast as she could.  
  
"He's on his way to the hospital. I'm sending Warrick on his way to get you."  
  
"Okay." She felt numb all over. It was as if someone had dropped her into an icy cold lake. "How bad was it?" There was a pause. "Grissom, answer me. How bad was it?"  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you. It was pretty bad."  
  
"Is he," She had a hard time forcing the words out. "Dead?" She whispered.  
  
"No, he's not dead." She could feel the tears begin to travel down her cheeks. "Sara, Warrick should be there any minute."  
  
She heard his Tahoe pull in the drive. "He's here now."  
  
"Good, I'll see you soon." Grissom hung up. She stood there with the phone in her hand unable to move. She heard Warrick knock on the door, but she couldn't bring herself to answer it. Luckily she didn't have to. Warrick opened the door and found her standing in the bedroom. He rushed over to her and pulled her in a hug. "I'm so sorry." He told her as he squeezed her tightly. She was first to pull away. He could see the tear stains on her cheeks. He grabbed her hand and held it. "Come on." He led her to his vehicle and opened the door for her. He made sure she had her seat belt on and got in on the driver's side. He backed out of the driveway and proceeded to the E.R.   
  
Catherine rushed in the emergency room looking for Grissom. She found him seating in a chair by the wall. He saw her and got up off the chair. He held his arms out to her and she fell in them. He pulled away and kissed her briefly. "What happened?" Catherine asked as she sat down in one of the chairs.  
  
Grissom took a deep breath and sat down beside her and began telling him what he knew:  
  
Nick walked under the crime scene tape and approached the officer in charge. "What've we got?" He asked.  
  
"Drug deal gone bad." The officer stated. His nametag identified him as Lt. Carmer. He and Nick approached a run down house and walked inside. "The victim's name is Andre Soltis." Lt. Carmer pointed toward the body. "He was shot twice in the chest."  
  
Nick bent down to take a closer look at the victim. "Who called it in?"  
  
"Neighbors heard shouting and then gunshots. They called 911." The officer bent down beside Nick. He pointed to the white powdery substance lying next to the vic's body. "That's pure cocaine."  
  
"Yeah." Nick grabbed his camera and began snapping various shots of the victim. He then searched the area around the body to see if he could find anything else that would lead them to the suspect. So far, he didn't see anything that looked suspicious. The coroner came and took the body away from the scene. Nick watched for a few moments, and then he and Carmer took in the surrounding area inside. There was overturned furniture and chairs. Nick dusted for prints and took more photos. Once he was contented that there wasn't anything else he could do, he decided to take what he did find back to the lab. He and Carmer began walking out of the house, when gunshots were fired. Carmer and Nick ran and ducked behind the police car. Other officers at the scene began firing their weapon towards the woods, where the gunshots originally came from. Carmer glanced at Nick. "Stay down."  
  
Nick only nodded.   
  
The officers watched as two black men came from behind the trees and began firing at them and the cars. Two of the officers went down. Several began taking shots at the men. None of them knew that the two men were only a distraction for what was about to go down. Another man, dressed completely in black, made his way behind the officers and before anyone knew of his presence, he fired his automatic weapon. The officers were all shot through the back and Carmer was able to manage to get in a few shots before the bullets ripped through his body. The shooter fired aimlessly and Nick knew there was nothing he could do. He watched as Carmer's body fell and then he felt a sharp pain go through his body. Looking down, he saw where the bullet entered him. He grabbed a hold of his side only to feel another bullet enter him. He leaned back against the car and watched as the darkness grew nearer. He closed his eyes and the last image his mind showed him was of Sara, and then nothing. The darkness took him.  
  
Catherine had tears running down her face as soon as Grissom was done speaking. She watched as Grissom got out of his seat and knelt down beside her. He pulled her into his arms and held her, neither one willing to let go.  
  
Warrick and Sara arrived at the hospital and walked into the waiting room. They spotted Grissom and Catherine and made their way over there. Catherine noticed them and pulled away from Grissom. She saw the hurt and pain in both her friends' eyes. Warrick was the first to speak. "Any word on Nick's condition?"  
  
"No. I'm sorry." Grissom told them. He pointed to the vacant chairs. "Maybe you two should sit down. We don't know how long it will be."  
  
"I don't feel like sitting down." Sara commented. Her eyes focused on the doors that led back to the E.R. Warrick knew that there was nothing he could do to comfort her. She looked back at Grissom. "I want to know what happened."  
  
"I'll tell you if you sit down."  
  
She sighed deeply and sat down in the chair beside Catherine. The older woman wrapped her arm around Sara's shoulders. Grissom pulled a chair in front of Sara and told her everything that he had just told Catherine. Warrick slumped in a chair beside Sara. "How did you find out what happened?" He asked.   
  
"An officer that was dispatched to the scene told me." Grissom answered. A doctor walked up to them. "Are you the family of Nicholas Stokes?"  
  
Sara glanced up at him. "Yes. I'm his fiancée."   
  
He gave her a brief smile. "Why don't you come with me to my office?"  
  
She shook her head no. "Everyone that is standing here is apart of Nick's family. We all need to hear what you have to say."  
  
"Very well." He grabbed a chair and sat down next to Grissom. "Nick was shot twice. One shot hit his lower abdomen and the other grazed his left side. He's lost quite a bit of blood, but he should be fine."  
  
Grissom asked him about any of the other officers. The doctor gave him a grave and sad expression. "They're not so lucky. Five of them died and the other two are in a coma. I don't think they will make it."  
  
"But Nick's okay." Warrick asked. He knew how cold that must have sounded to the doctor, but he needed reassurance that his friend was alive and that he will be okay.  
  
"Yes, he's going to be sore for a while and he's going to need plenty of rest. But I think he will make a complete recovery."  
  
"Can we see him?" This came from Sara.  
  
"Right now, we have him in the ICU. We will be moving him to a regular room soon. Then you can see him."  
  
"Thank you doctor." Grissom told him. The doctor smiled and stood up. "You're welcome. Now if you will excuse me. I have to go and give the horrible news to the other families."  
  
No one spoke. They watched as the doctor walked over to a pregnant woman and led her back toward his office. "Hey guys, is Nick okay?" A voice asked pulling them out of their daze. They looked over and saw Brass and Greg standing there.  
  
"Yeah, he will be. The others weren't as lucky." Grissom answered.  
  
"I have a crew there now." Brass told him. "I'm getting dayshift to process the scene."  
  
"What?" Warrick stated. "You can't do that."  
  
Brass held his hands up. "Look, you are all too close this one. I mean this is Nick we're talking about. Any evidence you collect might be considered tampered."  
  
"Tampered my ass!"   
  
Grissom shot a look over at Warrick that said to calm down. Then he turned his attention to Brass. "I want at least one of our team to work this case. I don't care who, I just want to make sure it's done right."  
  
"Fair enough, but I get to pick." Brass told him. He looked over at Sara and Warrick. "I can already tell you who won't be investigating it."  
  
Warrick leaned back in his chair. "As long as some of us is on it then I'm fine."  
  
"Good." Brass looked at Catherine. "Catherine, you and Grissom can work the case with day shift."  
  
"Thanks." Catherine told him. Brass nodded and told them that he was going and informing the new dayshift supervisor that they will have two more helping. He turned around and walked out of the hospital.   
  
Grissom stood up. "Okay, I'm going to go to the scene and begin processing."  
  
Catherine got up as well. "I'm coming too. I don't want you there alone."  
  
He gave her a smile and focused on the other three. "Tell Nick we're going to do everything we can to catch this guy."  
  
Warrick nodded. "I will. Be careful."  
  
"You got it." He replied and walked out of the hospital with Catherine right beside him.  
  
Grissom and Catherine arrived at the scene to find that some of the day shift were already there processing. Grissom walked over to the supervisor of dayshift. The new guy was a bit younger than Grissom. He stood about six feet tall. The man could feel them approaching. He turned toward them. "Grissom, Catherine." Calloway nodded. "Brass told me that you two would be helping out."  
  
"That's right." Grissom stated plainly.  
  
"Well I've got three of my team searching the area around where the officers were shot. Why don't you and Catherine scope out the woods? Maybe our shooters left something behind."  
  
Catherine wasn't sure how Grissom would react to someone else giving him orders. True, Grissom wasn't always the superior on the night shift. He has held this position for three years. To her surprise, Grissom merely shrugged and began heading toward the woods. Catherine gave Calloway a small smile and followed in behind Grissom. They carefully walked around the woods trying to spot anything that could be evidence. Catherine noticed that there was a dark red substance on the ground. She opened her field kit and put on her gloves. She then took out a swab and ran it across the red substance. "I think I just found some blood."  
  
"Could be from one of our shooters."  
  
"That's what I'm thinking." She glanced around to see if she found anymore. Sure enough, she noticed a trail of blood leading toward the highway on the other end of the woods. "I've got a blood trail." They decided to follow it to see just how far along it went. Catherine was a few feet ahead of Grissom when she came to a stop. Grissom, who wasn't paying attention to where he was going, slammed against her. He was about to apologize when he figured out why she stopped. Before them lay the body of a black man. Catherine bent down to examine him carefully without touching him. She could see where the bullet had hit him. "Looks like one of the officers got a shot in."  
  
Grissom nodded. "Yeah, I'll call Calloway over. I'm sure he's going to want to see this as well."  
  
"Yeah, and a coroner." Catherine took a few pictures while Grissom retrieved Calloway. Soon both men were back and observing the scene. Calloway had called a coroner as soon as Grissom told him what they had found. The coroner took no time arriving. Catherine looked up to see the familiar face of David. "Hey Catherine." He addressed her as he and another coroner bent down to take the body.  
  
"Hey David." She answered politely.  
  
Once they had the man on the stretcher, David glanced at her. "I heard about Nick. How's he doing?"  
  
"I haven't heard anything new, but as far as I know, he's going to be fine."  
  
"That's good." David told her good-bye and rolled the body toward the ambulance. Calloway looked at both Grissom and Catherine. "As soon as we get some I.D. on this guy, I want you two to find out everything you can about him. We might be able to find out who the others were."  
  
"No problem." Catherine told him. She and Grissom decided to head back to the lab and find out whom their dead man was.  
  
Back at the hospital, Warrick, Sara, and Greg were waiting for Nick to be moved to his new room. Greg had went and got all three of them a cup of coffee. He was seated next to Sara. He took a sip of coffee letting the warmth flow through his body. His mind couldn't stop thinking about what happened. Nick was one of his closest friends. He had no clue what he would do without him. He glanced over at Sara. She had stopped crying a long time ago, but he could see the worry was still there. He knew that what he was feeling was in no way compared to how Sara felt. Sara felt Greg staring at her. She turned her head over to him and gave him a small smile. "Thanks for the coffee."  
  
He grinned. "Not a problem. I just wish there was more that I could do."  
  
Warrick heard his comment and nodded. "I agree. At least we know that Grissom and Catherine are handling the case. So we know it's gonna get done properly."  
  
Greg was about to reply back, when the doctor walked up to them. "The nurses have Nick settled in his room. You're welcome to go see him. Just don't stay too long. He needs his rest."  
  
"Thank you." Sara and Warrick said at the same time. The doctor only smiled and told them what room number Nick was in. The three then walked through the doors to Nick's room. When they walked in they saw exactly how bad Nick looked. He had various things hooked up to him. His face was pale and he had his eyes closed. Sara walked to his bedside and reached for his hand. She held it in the two of hers. "Nick." She whispered. She didn't want to wake him up if he was asleep. His eyes fluttered open and he tried to focus. He knew someone was holding his hand. He slowly turned his head to his left and saw that Sara was right there. "Hey." He said.  
  
"Hey." A tear fell down her cheek. Nick wanted more than anything to take her in his arms and hold her. He knew that he couldn't. The pain in his body kept him from making any sudden movements.  
  
"Hey Nick." Warrick greeted him. "You had us scared there."  
  
Nick turned his focus to his friend and smiled. "Yeah, I had myself scared as well." He noticed that Greg was also in the room. "Hey Greg."  
  
"Hi. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I've been shot." He replied trying to add some bit of humor, but failed. Nick couldn't help but let out a yawn. The others noticed and decided to let him get some rest. "We're going to go and let you get some rest. If you need anything you call me okay." Warrick told him.   
  
"I will. Thanks for coming by."  
  
"Like I'd be anywhere else."  
  
Nick smiled and watched as Warrick left the room. Greg decided that he should also say good-bye and leave. "I'll try and bring you some real food okay."  
  
"Thanks man. I would love to have a steak right now."  
  
"Yeah, well I'm not sure if steak is what you need. But I promise I'll buy you one when you get out."  
  
"I'm holding you to that."   
  
Greg laughed and went out the door leaving Sara alone with Nick. He turned his attention back on her. "You okay?" He asked.  
  
"I should be asking you that." She answered and squeezed his hand.  
  
"I'm a bit sore, but I think I'll live." He glanced down at his bed sheets. "The others didn't make it did they?"  
  
She knew she couldn't lie to him. "No, they didn't." She replied softly.  
  
"Why me? Why did I survive?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm glad you did." It was her turn to stare at something other than the man in front of her. "When Grissom called, the way he sounded, I thought you were dead." She tried not to cry anymore. She knew that if anyone should be crying it was the victims' families. "I don't think I could make it without you. I don't even want to try."  
  
Nick, through the pain, leaned up and pulled Sara to him. He put his arms around her and held her as tightly as he could without hurting either one of them. Sara held him back, only not as tight. She didn't want to cause him any more pain than he already felt. When she pulled back she kissed him on the forehead. "You need your rest."  
  
"I'm pretty worn out."  
  
"Then sleep."  
  
"What about you?" He knew that she must have been exhausted as well.  
  
"I'm fine. I'll stay here if you need me to."  
  
"No, you won't sleep well here. Go home and get some rest."  
  
"I'm not tired." She lied.  
  
He called her on it. "Liar. I can see it in your eyes."   
  
"Get some sleep Nick. I'll be back later today." She leaned down and gently kissed him on the lips. She pulled back and smiled. "I love you."  
  
"Love you too." He laid back down and soon sleep took him. Sara quietly walked out of the room and meet Warrick out in the waiting room. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they walked toward his vehicle. "What's the plan?" He asked.  
  
"Let's go to the lab and see if Grissom and Catherine found anything."  
  
"Good idea." They got in his Tahoe and drove toward the lab.  
  
Grissom and Catherine made it to the lab around the same time Warrick, Sara, and Greg got back. Grissom was holding the blood sample Catherine had collected at the scene. "Hey Greg, I have something for you to run."  
  
Greg walked up to him and reached out for the sample. "I'll get you the results as soon as I can."  
  
Catherine smiled. "Actually we know whose blood it is. We're just double checking everything."  
  
"No problem." Greg replied and walked toward his lab. Catherine watched him leave and then focused on Warrick and Sara. "How's Nick?"  
  
"Sore and tired." Sara answered.   
  
"I believe it."   
  
"Did you find anything helpful at the scene?" Warrick wanted to know.  
  
"We found one of the shooter's body. We're going down to autopsy to get an I.D. on him." Grissom stated. He looked at Warrick. "Why don't you go home and get some rest. It's been a long night."  
  
"Nah, I'm not tired. Besides I don't think I could sleep."  
  
"All right. Then how about you and Sara see if you finish up the case you were on."  
  
Pleased that he wasn't making them go, Warrick and Sara both nodded. They needed a distraction and Grissom sensed that. Warrick and Sara walked off leaving Grissom and Catherine alone. Catherine grabbed his hand and looked at him. "So, wanna walk me to the morgue?"  
  
"Love to." He squeezed her hand and they went to the morgue. Grissom opened the door and allowed Catherine to go in first. They noticed that Dr. Robbins was already working on their shooter. He looked up and grinned. "I was wondering when you would be stopping by."  
  
"We came to get his fingerprints." Grissom told him.  
  
"Be my guest." Robbins watched as Grissom placed the shooter's fingers on the inkpad and then placed the fingers on the paper. After he was done, he glanced back at Robbins. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem. I'm assuming that you know that the cause of death here was a gunshot wound to the chest."  
  
"Yeah, we've had quite a few of those in the past few hours." Catherine told him. "Thanks Doc." She and Grissom waved bye and took their fingerprints to AFIS. Soon the machine began searching through fingerprints to find a match. A few minutes later, they had their match. Grissom read the name on the computer. "The shooter was Devon Chavis." Grissom then began checking out Devon's record. The computer began showing a lengthy criminal record, which included theft and drug possession. "Says here that he was out on parole."  
  
Catherine and Grissom spent the next thirty minutes looking up all kinds of information about Devon. Calloway walked in and asked if they've made any progress. Grissom told him what they learned about Devon. Calloway nodded. "We just analyzed the bullet casings found on the scene. Most were from a semi automatic. The others were from our officers."  
  
"There is no way we can track down the gun that was used. Even if we did find the type of gun, there has to be hundreds." Catherine observed.  
  
Calloway sighed. "I agree. The only thing I can think of is to talk to people who knew Devon. Maybe they will tell us who his buddies are."  
  
"It's a start."   
  
"Why don't you two take a break? I know this has to be hard for you considering one of your own was hurt."  
  
"We appreciate the offer, but the more we waste time, the more time our suspects have in getting away." Grissom told him.  
  
"Okay, how about this. You print me a list of all the people who have connections to Devon. Then my team, and the two of you can split up and we can interview them. That way we will be covering a lot more territory."  
  
"Sounds good." Grissom said beginning to like Calloway more and more. He had a lot more brains then Eckley had. Calloway was about to leave, when he turned back to Grissom. "I know that you have two other people on your team. I also know that Brass told me to keep them away, but if it's okay with you, I would like them to help us out."  
  
Catherine grinned. She knew that Warrick and Sara would jump at the chance to help out. "What about Brass?" She asked knowing the wrath that man could do if he put his mind to it.  
  
"Let me handle Brass. Just get your team together."  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Grissom asked wondering if there was an ulterior motive in Calloway's thinking.  
  
"You want the truth? If it were one of my men, I would be demanding to work the case. I wouldn't be able to sit down and let someone else take my case."  
  
"Thank you Calloway." Catherine replied. "I'm sure Warrick and Sara will be more than glad to help."  
  
"Good. Keep me posted on what you find and I will do the same." Calloway gave them one last smile and left. Catherine glanced over at Grissom. "I like him."   
  
"Me too." He placed his arm around her. "Come on, let's give Warrick and Sara the good news." She wrapped her arm around his waist and they went off in search of their friends.  
  
They found Warrick and Sara sitting in one of the computer rooms. Grissom opened the door causing them to shift their focus to him. "Hey Griss, we just finished up that case." Warrick told him.  
  
"Good, cause you and Sara are now officially helping us."  
  
"Really?" Sara asked not really believing what she just heard.  
  
"Calloway is going to talk to Brass. In the meantime, we need you and Warrick to go and interview some people." Grissom handed a list to Warrick. It had two names on it.   
  
"What's going on?" Warrick replied reading the names off the list and then handed it to Sara.  
  
"The shooter we found at the scene was out on parole. Catherine and I printed out a list of the people who knew Devon. We're splitting up into teams to ask them questions. You and Sara are going to work together."  
  
Sara looked up from the piece of paper. "So after we interview these people then what?"  
  
"Hopefully we'll have more answers and more people to interrogate." He gave her a smile and told them good luck. He walked back out of the room where Catherine was waiting for him.  
  
"So, I'm guessing they're thrilled to be helping out." She commented.  
  
"I'm guessing so." He put his arm around her shoulder and began leading her toward the parking lot.   
  
"You guess? Did they not say anything?"  
  
"No, I gave them their assignment and left."  
  
Catherine only shook her head. She put her arm around his waist and leaned into him. Once they got to the car, Grissom opened the passenger door open for her. She gave him an odd look. "I thought Calloway said to split up."  
  
"He did, but I don't want you interviewing someone alone."  
  
She grinned and leaned toward him and gently pressed her lips to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck drawing him closer to her. She could feel his hands around her back. Slowly, he pulled away from her. She knew they had a job to do and they could finish this later. Once she got in the car, he shut the door and got in on the other side. He started the vehicle and pulled out of the lot.  
  
Warrick and Sara were now in front of the home of Rueben Chavis. Warrick glanced at the house in front of him. It was a tiny house with a small front yard. Warrick walked through the grass to the front door. Sara was a few steps behind him. He knocked on the door and waited. After a few minutes, a man came to the door. "Rueben Chavis?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Yeah, that's me. What do you want?" He didn't open the door completely.  
  
Warrick pulled out his I.D. "I'm Warrick Brown." He pointed to Sara. "And this is Sara Sidle. We're from the Las Vegas crime lab. We need to ask you a few questions about your brother Devon."  
  
"He's not here."  
  
"We know that sir. In fact, we have some rather bad news for you."  
  
Rueben opened the door all the way and stared at Warrick. "What kind of news?"  
  
"Your brother was involved with a police shooting earlier this morning. He and some of his buddies managed to kill some cops and injure someone else."  
  
"And that's my problem how?"  
  
Sara jumped in an answered him. "Devon was shot and killed during the shootout."  
  
Rueben's face showed no emotion. He turned his focus on Sara. "What is it you're wanting from me?"  
  
"We need to know who Devon hangs out with. We know he was on parole, so none of his inside prison buddies didn't help him, so we need to know his outside people."  
  
"I'm not telling you a damn thing. Unless you have a warrant or something like that get off my property."  
  
Sara glanced at Warrick silently asking what now. He knew they didn't have anything against the brother for a warrant, so they had no choice but to leave. Warrick turned his focus back on Rueben. "I just want you to know that your brother killed innocent men today and injured another one. So when your brother's friends goes out and kills again, it will be on your head."  
  
"Maybe next time, you'll actually care about someone they kill." Sara added and she and Warrick turned around and headed back toward the Tahoe. Once they reached it, they heard the front door slam.   
  
Grissom and Catherine pulled into the driveway of Vivian Chavis. Catherine got out of the car and noticed the toys that were scattered along the grass. She and Grissom walked to the door and knocked. A little boy answered the door and looked up at Catherine. "Hi." He said.  
  
Catherine grinned at him. "Hey cutie, is your mommy home?"  
  
"Uh huh." He nodded and turned his back on her. "Mommy, mommy someone's here."  
  
A woman in her late twenties came to the door. "Deacon, I told you not to answer the door without me around." She scolded the little boy. Deacon's eyes began to water and he ran to her leg and hugged it.   
  
"Sorry." He cried.  
  
She wrapped her arm around him. "It's okay, but what did I tell you about strangers?"  
  
Deacon glanced over at Catherine and Grissom and then back at his mom. "Not to talk to them."  
  
"Exactly, now go and play in your room." She watched as the little boy ran off and then focused back on Grissom and Catherine. "May I help you?"  
  
Grissom pulled out his I.D. "Ma'am, I'm Gil Grissom and this is Catherine Willows. We're from the crime lab and we need to ask you a few questions."  
  
"I'm Vivian Chavis."  
  
"We first need to tell you about your brother Devon." Grissom replied and he pointed to her sofa. "You might want to sit down."  
  
She gave him a look of pure shock. "Something happened, didn't it?"  
  
Catherine gently took her arm and led her to the sofa and sat down beside her. "Your brother was involved in a shooting and was killed."  
  
Tears began to form and slowly slide down Vivian's cheeks. "Did you find out who shot him?"  
  
"There isn't an easy way to tell you this, but he and two other men fired upon some officers working a crime scene."  
  
"Why, why would he do that?" She reached over and grabbed a kleenex off the table beside her and wiped her eyes.  
  
"We don't know."  
  
"Can you tell us who your brother mostly hung out with? Any friends?" Grissom asked.  
  
"Devon had a bunch of friends. I'm not sure if I could tell you all of them."  
  
"Do you know of any that would have orchestrated the attack on the officers?"  
  
Vivian glanced up at Grissom. "I know that there are few that are pretty rough, the rest he hung out with were decent guys."  
  
"Do you know the names of the ones who weren't so decent?" Catherine replied.  
  
"Yeah, they were in a gang. There's Tyron Bujold, Nathan Barrick, and Luke Phillips."  
  
Catherine quickly wrote those names down and thanked Vivian. She and Grissom then told the other woman good-bye and left. Grissom pulled out his cell phone and dialed Calloway's number. He answered on the first ring. "Calloway?"  
  
"It's Grissom, we now have some names of some of Devon's friends."  
  
"Good, we've interviewed our people and most weren't that friendly."  
  
Grissom smiled and thought to himself that they never are. He gave Calloway the names and told him that they would go and interview them.   
  
"I got a call from Warrick. He and Sara didn't have any luck with the brother and they are on their way to talk to Devon's girlfriend."  
  
"Okay, Catherine and I will go and talk to the three people that Vivian gave us."  
  
"Why don't you give me one of those names and I'll help you out?"  
  
"All right, pick one."  
  
"I'll take Luke Phillips and I'll call you if I learn anything new."  
  
"Okay, bye." Grissom hung the phone up and glanced at Catherine. "Ready?"  
  
"Always." They got into the car and left.  
  
Jasmine stepped up to the hospital receptionist and smiled. "Hi, I'm here to visit a friend. Nick Stokes."  
  
The receptionist returned the smile and told her where Nick's room was. Jasmine thanked her and began her way toward Nick's room. She had learned about the shooting from Warrick. Since Warrick was her boyfriend, and Nick was one of his best friends, she felt that she needed to visit him. She walked to his door and slightly knocked. She didn't want to wake him if he was asleep. "Come in." She heard him say.  
  
She opened the door and got her first good look at him. He didn't look too bad. 'It could have been worse.' She thought to herself. "Hey Nick, how are you feeling?"  
  
Nick gave her his best grin. "I'm doing better." He pointed to the chair beside his bed. "Have a seat."  
  
She walked over and sat down. "Warrick called me and told me what happened. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I was lucky."  
  
"I know, I heard about the others. When are the doctors going to let you leave?"  
  
Nick carefully pulled himself up and leaned against the headboard. "I'm not sure. If I could have it my way, I would already be home."  
  
Jasmine laughed. "I don't blame you."  
  
"So, how have you been?" He asked wanting to get some of the attention off him.  
  
"Not bad. Work's been pretty busy lately."  
  
She worked in a doctor's office, so he knew that was true. "How are things going between you and Warrick?"  
  
"Great. I really love him." She couldn't help but smile when her boyfriend's name was mentioned.   
  
"I'm happy for you both. Warrick needed someone special and he found that person in you."  
  
Jasmine blushed at the compliment. "Thanks Nick. So how are things between you and Sara? Have you set a wedding date yet?"  
  
Nick sighed. "We're doing good. We can't seem to find a good date for the wedding. I swear if it was up to everyone else, Sara and I would be married right this minute."  
  
She laughed. "Well, you'll figure it out. I bet your parents are excited."  
  
"Excited is not the word. They're beyond excited. Mom wants to fly here and help out with everything."  
  
"And you don't want her to?"  
  
"It's not that. I know my mother means well, but I don't want a fancy huge wedding. Sara and I decided that we should have a simple wedding."  
  
"There is nothing wrong with that." She wondered if his mother even knew about what happened to him. "Nick, have you talked to your mom about the shooting?"  
  
"No, she'd be on the first flight out here. I don't want her to worry about me."  
  
Jasmine knew that his mother deserved to know what happened, but she didn't want to get into an argument with Nick. Especially since she was trying to build a stronger friendship with him. She glanced at her watch. "Well, my break is over. I need to get back to work." She stood up and reached for his hand. She gave it a squeeze. "If you need anything, give me a call okay."  
  
Nick squeezed her hand back and then released it. "Thanks for coming by. I was starting to get lonely in here."  
  
"I'm sure Sara will be back soon."  
  
"Yeah, she told me she would come back later."  
  
Jasmine gave him one last smile. "Bye Nick. Get better soon okay."  
  
"Bye Jasmine. Thanks again." He watched as she walked out of the room and then glanced at the phone. He pondered about calling Sara. He couldn't help but let out a yawn. He scooted back down in his bed and rested his head on the pillow. 'I'll call her later.' He thought to himself and drifted off to sleep.  
  
Warrick and Sara made their way to Devon's girlfriend's home. Warrick pulled the Tahoe in the driveway and shut if off. He turned to look at Sara. "Ready to get this over with?"  
  
"Yeah." She opened the door and got out. She waited at the front of the vehicle for Warrick and they walked together toward the door. Warrick knocked on the door and waited. Soon a tall black woman with long hair opened the door. "Can I help you?" She asked glancing at the strangers on the other side of her door.  
  
Warrick introduced himself and Sara. "Are you Angelique Knight?"   
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"We're sorry, but we have some bad news for you."  
  
She looked at Warrick. "What kind of bad news?"  
  
Sara decided to take over. "Your boyfriend Devon was killed earlier this morning."  
  
Angelique's face quivered and soon tears began to trail down her cheeks. "We were fixing to go on a trip. He told me that we were going to go to Jamaica."  
  
"Devon was out on parole. When exactly were you supposed to leave?" Warrick asked.  
  
"He told me that he had it all worked out. That he was going back to jail. He just needed the money that he was owed."  
  
"Who owed him money?"   
  
"Andre Soltis."  
  
Warrick glanced over at Sara. Andre was their first victim. Warrick was beginning to see the whole picture. He turned his attention back to Angelique. "I need to ask you a few questions about Andre Soltis. How much money did he owe your boyfriend?"  
  
"About ten thousand."  
  
"That's quite a bit of money. Why did he owe that much?"  
  
"Devon loaned him things, money was one of them."  
  
"Was drugs another?" Sara asked knowing that there were drugs at the scene.  
  
"Yes." She quickly turned her focus on Warrick. "Look, I have nothing to do with it. I don't go near the cocaine. Devon handled all of that."  
  
"Okay, let me ask you this, are there any other people that Andre owed money to?"  
  
"I'm sure. He borrowed stuff all the time. I know a few of Devon's friends were getting tired of his shit."  
  
"Do you know their names?" Sara replied.  
  
"I only know Kane Siever."   
  
"All right." Warrick commented. He knew that they wouldn't get much more out of the girlfriend. "Thanks for your help." He and Sara turned around and headed back toward the Tahoe. Once in the car and down the street, Warrick began discussing what he thought went down. "Okay, here's what I think happened. Andre owed them money and apparently wasn't planning on paying them back. Devon was out on parole and was planning on bailing the country, but he needed money to leave. So he decides to call Andre and demand his money."  
  
Sara nodded and added to his theory. "Andre didn't have the money. So Devon decides to get revenge. He and Kane go to Andre's to either get their money or take him down. Since they didn't find the money they were owed, they kill him."  
  
Warrick nodded. "We're still missing something here. According to Grissom, there was a third person in the shooting. What I don't understand is why they didn't leave after they shot Andre? Why start the shoot off with the cops?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "I don't know."  
  
Warrick pulled his cell phone out and called Grissom and informed him on what they just learned. Grissom in return told them what he and Catherine had. After hanging up with Grissom, he called Calloway. Instead of going to investigate Kane Siever, Calloway told them to head back to the lab. He wanted them all together to discuss new theories and ideas. Warrick hung the phone up and informed Sara on the new plan. She nodded and stared out of the window.  
  
It was now one o'clock in the afternoon. Calloway had his team and the night shift together in one huge room seated at a table. Calloway stood at the end of the table and pulled out some notes. "Okay, let's run down everything we know so far. Early this morning Andre Soltis was shot at his home. The cops came on the scene including Nick Stokes from the night shift. After processing the scene, they were fired upon by three shooters. The officers went down and the shooters got away. We later found out that one of the shooters was Devon Chavis. Chavis was out on parole."  
  
He looked at Grissom. "Thanks to the combined effort of your team and mine, we've learned that Devon's motive was possibly revenge. I talked to Luke Phillips. He's a member of the gang Devon belonged to. He told me that Andre owed money to a lot of people in the gang. This confirms what Warrick and Sara learned from the girlfriend. Now, what we need to know is why our shooters stayed to attack the officers. Any theories?"  
  
Catherine spoke up. "I have one. What if they were waiting to see who was going to process the scene? I know that Lt. Carmer put away a lot of people. Maybe he has a connection with them."  
  
Calloway seemed very impressed. "That's good. I never thought of that. Catherine, would you mind working on that? It was your idea after all."  
  
"Wouldn't mind at all." She responded. "I'll get started now." She got up and left the room. Calloway watched her leave and then turned his attention back on those that were left. "All right, we need someone to go and talk to Kane Siever. He might give us the same run around as a lot of them, but we need to use every resource."  
  
Warrick volunteered to go along with Sara. Calloway nodded. "I thought you might. I would like for you two to stay until after this meeting is done though, so you can hear what we learned from the others."  
  
Calloway turned his focus back on Grissom. "You and Catherine talked to Nathan Barrick and Tyron Bujold, correct?"  
  
"Yes, and they gave us the same story as Luke did. They basically said that Andre owed money and that Devon would do anything to collect it."  
  
"Did they happen to mention anyone else that might be involved?"  
  
"Not really. They kept talking about Devon and Kane was mentioned."  
  
Calloway nodded. "Okay, so it seems to me that the best plan of action is to talk to Kane Siever." He looked toward Warrick and Sara. "All right, you two go ahead. As soon as your done give me a call."  
  
"No problem." Warrick told him. He and Sara got up and walked out of the room. Calloway watched as they left and decided to conclude his meeting. "My guys are running the bullet casings found at the scene. Grissom, I'm sure you would like to go help Catherine. Once we've got more information, I would like us to meet here."  
  
"Of course." Grissom responded and left the room with out another word.  
  
Catherine was sitting in front of a computer doing a search on everyone that had been arrested by Lt. Carmer. She was so involved in what she was doing; she never heard the door open. Grissom walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump. "Don't do that!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Sorry, I was sure you heard me come in."   
  
"I didn't."  
  
He leaned over and briefly kissed her neck. He pulled back up and glanced at the screen. "Find anything so far?"  
  
"Yeah. Seems like Carmer arrested quite a bit of men, including Devon Chavis and Kane Siever."  
  
"It sounds like your theory might be right."  
  
"That's what I was thinking. Of course, we've still have a third shooter out there." She turned around to look at Grissom. "Where does he come to play in this?"  
  
"I don't know." Grissom pointed to the screen. "He could be any of these men."  
  
She exhaled deeply. "True. I guess we'll just have to dig deeper." She pointed to a chair by the wall. "You might want to sit down, this could take a while."  
  
He nodded and walked over and picked the chair up. He carried it and placed it down beside Catherine and began helping her search.  
  
Warrick and Sara found where Kane lived and where pulling up at his apartment complex. They got out and walked to his door. Warrick knocked on the door and waited. Kane opened the door and glared at both of them. Warrick was the first to speak. "Kane Siever?"  
  
"That's me, who are you?"  
  
"Warrick Brown, this is Sara Sidle. We're from the crime lab." He showed Kane his I.D. "We need to ask you a few questions."  
  
"What's this about?"  
  
"Where were you early this morning?"  
  
"At home, why?"  
  
"Are you friends with Devon Chavis?"  
  
"What's it to you?" Kane asked getting very annoyed with each question he was being asked.  
  
"Well, if you were, we've got some bad news for you. Devon Chavis was killed this morning."  
  
Kane's face showed no emotion. "What does this have to do with me?"  
  
Sara decided to ask the next question. "Do you know Andre Soltis?"  
  
"Yes, I do. He owed me some money."  
  
"Owed?"  
  
"Yeah. Owed." He said stressing the owed part. Sara turned to look at Warrick. "When was the last time you saw Andre?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Earlier." He answered.  
  
"How early?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe eight or nine this morning."  
  
Both Sara and Warrick knew he was lying. "I think your time is off." Warrick responded.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He means that you're a few hours too late. You didn't see Andre at those times." Sara told him plainly.  
  
"Are you saying I'm a liar?" He asked giving her an evil glare.  
  
She nodded her head. "Yes, I am."  
  
Warrick took over. "We know you didn't see Andre around then, because he was laying in a morgue."  
  
Kane carefully and slowly began reaching toward his back pocket. Warrick noticed it and pulled out his gun. "Put your hands where we can see them." He demanded. Kane gave him a grin and slowly began lifting his hands only to lunge quickly toward Warrick, catching the CSI by surprise. Before he could fire his weapon, Kane knocked him to ground. The gun went flying out of Warrick's hand and toward the pavement. Kane began pounding his fists onto Warrick's face and chest. Warrick wasn't going to take this off him. He reached up and punched Kane on the side of his head. Kane didn't expect it, and was fazed only for a second. That second was all Warrick and Sara both needed. Warrick knocked Kane off him, and Sara grabbed Kane's weapon and Warrick's. She turned the gun of Kane and gave him a slight grin. "Don't even think about moving." She told him.  
  
Warrick pulled out his cell phone and called Brass. Brass and a few other police officers arrived within minutes of the call. Brass had Warrick and Sara give a statement of what happened and had Kane arrested. He took both Kane's and Warrick's gun. He gave Warrick a smile. "Glad you're okay."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've got a feeling that we've just found one of our shooters."  
  
"Good. I'm going to take him down to the station. I'm also going to get you a warrant to check his apartment." Brass pulled out his cell phone and began making the call he needed to get the warrant. He waved bye to Warrick and Sara and got in the police car and soon disappeared down the road, leaving Warrick and Sara alone.  
  
Grissom and Catherine just finished looking up everyone they could that might have a connection to both Lt. Carmer and Devon Chavis. The only name they got was Kane Siever. Grissom's cell phone rang. "Grissom"  
  
"Hey, it's Warrick. We just got through talking to Kane Siever."  
  
"How did that go?"  
  
"Well, aside from the fight, I think we might have found our second shooter."  
  
"Fight?" Grissom asked confused but interested at the same time.  
  
Warrick explained to him what happened and then told him that they were waiting on a warrant. Grissom nodded and told Warrick what he and Catherine learned from the computer. "Did you tell Calloway?" Grissom asked.  
  
"Sara is talking to him on her cell."  
  
"Good. All right, just keep us informed."  
  
"Sure thing. Later." Grissom hung up the phone and updated Catherine on what he just learned. She smiled knowing that they were getting closer to solving the mystery. Grissom took her hand. "Let's go see if we can't listen in on Kane's interrogation."  
  
"Led the way." They walked out of the room and ran into Greg on the way. "Hey Griss, I got the results of the blood back for you."  
  
"I sent that in hours ago."  
  
Greg glanced down at the ground. "I know, but I've been swamped. Anyway, you were right, the blood was Devon's."  
  
"Good, thanks Greg." They were about to walk off when Greg stopped them. "Have you heard any more news about Nick?"  
  
Catherine shook her head. "No, in fact we've been so busy, I haven't had time to call."  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering how he was doing."  
  
"Why don't you go to the hospital and visit him." Grissom suggested.  
  
Greg smiled. "Yeah, I could do that. I need a break anyway. Does anyone want to come with me?"  
  
"Wish we could but we're busy right now." Catherine told him.  
  
"Oh, what about Sara or Warrick?"  
  
"They're waiting on a warrant to check an apartment."  
  
"Guess I'm going solo." He waved bye to them and walked away.  
  
"You know, I feel really bad about not going to see Nick." Catherine stated.  
  
"We've been busy. I'm sure Nick will understand."  
  
"Yeah, but he's alone in that room. I can only imagine what he's thinking."  
  
Grissom smiled. "I'm sure the nurses are keeping him entertained."  
  
"They better not, or Sara will have her own revenge."   
  
Grissom smiled and put his arm around her. "Let's get this over with." They made their way toward the interrogation.  
  
Greg stopped by the steak house and ordered Nick a steak and baked potato. He knew that would make Nick feel a little better. He carried the to-go box in both hands making sure he didn't drop it. He walked to Nick's room and shifted the box to open the door. Nick was watching television. "Hey Nick. Can I come in?"  
  
Nick focused on him and smiled. "Sure." As soon as Greg was inside, Nick could smell the food. "Is that my steak you promised?"  
  
"Of course." Greg handed him the box and Nick opened the lid. Nick's face brightened up a whole lot. "Man, this looks really good. Thanks Greg."  
  
"No problem." Greg sat down in the chair beside Nick's bed. "So how are you feeling?"  
  
"Better." Nick pointed to the small tray across the room. "Can you hand me that tray?"  
  
"Sure." The younger man got up and grabbed the tray and set it back down in front of Nick.  
  
"Thanks." He set the food on top of it and began to eat his meal. "So where's my beer?"  
  
Greg laughed. "Hey, you're lucky I got that in here."  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
Greg shook his head and got up. "I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and came back a few minutes later with a soft drink in his hand. He handed it to Nick. "Here, I don't want you to choke to death."  
  
"Thanks Greg." Nick grabbed it and took a huge sip of it. He set it down on the table and then looked at his friend. "I guess the others are really busy."  
  
"They're trying to find out who did this, and they feel bad that they haven't come to see you."  
  
"I know. Jasmine came by earlier though."  
  
"Really? That's cool."  
  
"Yeah. Warrick told her what happened, so she came by for a few minutes."  
  
"I'm really sorry Nick."  
  
"What about?"  
  
"Everything." He watched as Nick took another bite of his steak. After talking another drink of soda, Nick answered him. "Don't be. It's not your fault."  
  
"But the others, I mean I know they care."  
  
Nick stopped him. "Look, I know how it is when you're on a case that you want solved quickly. I was thinking about it earlier. If it had been someone else that was shot instead of me, I would be doing what they are now."  
  
"I still think it's wrong. Why can't they take five minutes to come out here and give you support?"  
  
"Greg. I know you mean well, and I know that it seems like they are being rude, but trust me, if there was anyway for one of them to be here for even a minute, I know they would."  
  
"I guess."   
  
"So, let's switch subjects. Shall we?" Nick continued to eat and talk to Greg for another ten minutes when the phone rang. Nick reached over and answered it. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Nick."  
  
Nick couldn't hide the smile that illuminated his face. "Hey Sara, how are you?"  
  
"I should be asking you the same question."  
  
"I'm good. I'm eating steak." Nick could imagine the look that just crossed her face at the mention of steak.  
  
"Greg bring it to you?"  
  
"Yep. He's here now."  
  
"I'm glad. Nick, I'm really sorry I haven't been there yet. I promise I haven't forgotten about you."  
  
"I know. So how is the case going?"  
  
Sara told him everything she knew so far and told him that she and Warrick were waiting for a warrant, so she decided to call him.  
  
"I'm glad you called. I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too. I'll be there as soon as I can."  
  
"I know you will."  
  
"Maybe by then the steak smell will be gone from your breath and I won't have to worry about kissing you."  
  
"Hey. That's not nice." He could hear Sara laughing on the other end.   
  
"Warrick told me to tell you hi and that he'll come by later."  
  
"Okay. Tell him I said hi." He heard her relay the message and then heard an unfamiliar voice. Sara came back on the line. "Nick, our warrant is here, so I need to go back to work. I love you."  
  
"I love you too Sara." They said their good-byes and Nick hung up the phone. Greg just smiled at him. "Sara coming by?"  
  
"She is later."  
  
"Good." He replied.  
  
As soon as they were given the warrant, Warrick and Sara immediately went to work inside Kane's home. They had split up and Warrick was checking the rooms in the front, while Sara checked the bedroom and bathroom in the back. Warrick was in the living room glancing around for anything that might link Kane to the shooting. So far, he wasn't having any luck. He walked in the kitchen and spent thirty minutes searching. He finally gave up and walked toward the bedroom. Sara wasn't in there, so he decided to begin processing the room. He opened the closet door and pulled out a hamper. Inside was a wrinkled shirt. He pulled it out and laid it on the bed. He grabbed his field kit off the floor and grabbed a plastic evidence bag out. He placed the shirt inside the bag. He was hoping that this shirt will have GSR on it, but he needed the equipment back at the lab to check it. He decided to see what was taking Sara so long in the bathroom. He walked over toward the door and glanced in. She was sitting on the floor with her back to him. She had dumped the contents of a trashcan out onto the floor and was going through it. "Hey Sara, find anything?"  
  
Without looking at him, she answered. "No, not yet."  
  
"I found a crumpled shirt in the closet. Don't know if it will help or not, but I'm hoping we'll find some GSR on it."  
  
"Maybe." She still didn't turn around. She pushed a can of soda out of the way and found a piece of paper. She reached down and grabbed it. Unfolding it, she noticed that it was a note from Andre. "Hey, I've got something."  
  
Warrick made his way to her and bent down beside her. "What've you got?"  
  
"A letter from Andre." Sara quickly scanned the note and handed it to Warrick for him to read. Warrick took it and began reading out loud. "I need more time, but I had an idea, maybe we can go in together and get rid of Devon. If we do, then think about it. All the money I owe him will go to you."  
  
Warrick glanced at Sara. "Well, that's interesting."  
  
"Yeah, kinda puts a new light on the case huh?"  
  
"I'll call Grissom and tell him. I'm sure this will make the interrogation interesting." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Grissom's number. He told Grissom everything they just found. He hung up the phone and smiled at Sara. "They're talking to him now."  
  
"Good. Let's get back and check the shirt you found." Warrick reached down and grabbed her hand helping her up. She told him thanks. He nodded and went back in the bedroom to collect his evidence and his kit. They walked out of the room and headed back toward the lab.  
  
Calloway, Grissom, and Catherine were in the room talking to Kane. Grissom hung up the phone and turned his attention on Kane. "I just received an interesting phone call. Were you and Andre going to kill Devon?"  
  
Kane gave him a hard and unreadable stare. "What would give you that idea?"  
  
"One of our CSIs found a note from Andre suggesting that you two get rid of Devon and then you would collect all the money."  
  
"Yeah, I read that note and you see what I did with." He balled his fist and then flung his hand outward like he was throwing a ball. "I tossed it in the garbage."   
  
Calloway leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you tell us about your 'relationship' with Andre?"  
  
"We don't have a 'relationship'. He owed me money and I collected."  
  
"Did he pay you last night?"  
  
"He paid alright." He sneered at Calloway. "Just not with money."  
  
"Are you confessing to killing Andre?"  
  
"So, what if I did? You can't prove anything."  
  
"I'm sure we will have some evidence to link you to his murder." Grissom told him.  
  
Kane glanced over at Grissom. "What ever you say."  
  
Catherine, whom had remained quiet, decided to speak up. "Why did you hang around for the cops? Killing one person wasn't good enough?"  
  
He grinned at her. "Look sweets, here's the thing. I had no clue which of those donut pushers would come, so when I saw Lt. Carmer, let's just say I felt like a kid at Christmas."  
  
"You must have been pretty pissed at Carmer, huh?"  
  
"You have no idea." Kane stated.   
  
"All right, we know that you and Devon weren't alone. Tell us who your third shooter is?" Calloway replied wanting to get this whole thing over with.  
  
Kane laughed. "Here's the part where I quit answering your questions."  
  
"Kane, you're already going to prison. Murder one. You might as well give us his name. It might help you live a little longer."   
  
"Kill me. Go ahead fire up the electric chair, or get the gas ready. I'm not answering your question." Kane sat back in chair and crossed his arms.   
  
Grissom stood up realizing that this interrogation was now officially over. Catherine stood up with him and they both walked out of the room. Leaving Calloway and another officer to arrest Kane. Grissom spotted a water fountain and made his way over to it and bent down and took a sip. He wiped the excess water off his mouth and turned to Catherine. "We need to go back to the scene."  
  
Catherine glanced at him. "Gil, we've been there. Calloway's team didn't find anything."  
  
"They could have over looked something."   
  
She exhaled. "Look, we're all tired. I think we should go home and get some rest."  
  
Grissom was about to protest, but the determined look from Catherine stopped him. "Fine, we'll go home. I'll let Calloway know."  
  
"Good. I need to go see Lindsey." Catherine leaned over and kissed him. She pulled away and smiled. "I'll see you later." Grissom watched her retreating form down the hallway. He found Calloway and told him that he, and his team were going home to rest for a while. Calloway was more than understanding and told him to have a good evening. Grissom then called Warrick and Sara and told them to go home as well. Grissom walked to his office and gathered his stuff and made his way home.  
  
Sara walked into Nick's room to find him sitting up in bed watching cartoons. She glanced up at the television and got a quick glance at Bobby Hill. She laughed. "Even the cartoons you watch deal with Texas. Are you trying to tell me something?"  
  
Nick laughed with her. He reached out his arms. "Come here."  
  
She gladly went and wrapped her arms around him. She could feel him rubbing her back up and down. She pulled back and took his face with her hands and brought his lips to hers. Nick savored every minute of the kiss. He pulled her down to where she was almost on top of him. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. Soon both broke apart breathless. Sara ran her fingers through his hair. "So, did you miss me today?"  
  
"I missed you like crazy." Sara turned herself around and sat down beside Nick on the bed. He put his arm around her shoulder and she placed her hand on his leg.   
  
"When do you get to come home?" Sara asked wanting nothing more to take the man she loved home.  
  
"Maybe tomorrow. At least, I hope I get to."  
  
"Getting tired of this place already, huh?"  
  
"Well, you see I have a fiancée waiting for me." He told her as he began kissing her along her cheek making his way down toward her neck.  
  
"Really? Well, I'm sure she can't wait to have you back either." She felt his hand cup her chin and soon his lips were upon hers. Neither heard the doctor walk in. "Ahem!"   
  
They broke apart and glanced over to see the doctor standing there. "It's good to see you're feeling better, Nick."  
  
"Yes, I am. When can I go home?"  
  
"As long as nothing goes wrong tonight, I don't see any reason why you can't go home tomorrow."  
  
"That's good to hear." Nick told him.  
  
"You were lucky Nick. Never forget that."  
  
"I know, and I won't." Nick watched as the doctor left the room leaving him alone with Sara. He glanced at her. "So, how is the case going?"   
  
Sara told him everything that she knew, including what Grissom had told them about Kane's interrogation. "We might never find the third shooter."  
  
Nick noticed the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. "You should go home and get some rest."  
  
"I don't want to leave you." She leaned against Nick and placed her head against his chest. They both fell silent and watched the rest of King of the Hill. As soon as it was over, Nick could hear Sara's steady breathing. He wrapped his arm around her and listened to her as she slept. Soon, sleep took him as well.  
  
Warrick woke up the next morning with the sound of knocking at his door. He quickly put on a shirt over his boxers and walked out of his bedroom. He glanced at his clock on the way out. It read 8:18. He yawned and made his way to the door. He looked through the peephole and smiled. Jasmine was standing on the other end with a brown bag in her arms. He opened the door and gave her his best charming grin. "I didn't expect you this morning." He told her and took the bag from her arms  
  
"I know, but I wanted to see you before I went to work." She leaned in and kissed him briefly before pulling away.   
  
"I'm glad you did." He glanced in the bag to see what goodies she brought him. He could smell the eggs and bacon coming from it. He went into the kitchen and set the bag on the counter. He began taking the food out. Jasmine walked over to his fridge and pulled out some orange juice. She set the juice on the counter and then proceeded to get them some glasses. Soon both were sitting down eating the small breakfast and making small talk.   
  
Jasmine glanced down at her watch and frowned. "I've got to get to work."  
  
"You could call in sick." He told her and then got up and wrapped his arms around her leaning down to kiss her neck. She grinned. "I wish I could."  
  
"Why can't you?"  
  
"Because Allison is on vacation and we would be short handed." She told him. She turned around to face him. "But don't worry, the next day I'm off, I'm yours."  
  
"Is that a promise?"  
  
"A promise and a fact." She brought her lips to his and kissed him deeply. Warrick put his arms around her and brought her closer to him. Jasmine was the one to pull away. "Sorry baby, but I really need to go. I'll call you later."  
  
"Okay." Warrick walked her to the door. "Thanks for breakfast."   
  
"You're welcome. Oh, I heard that Nick would be coming home today."   
  
"Good, I was going to go see him in a little while." Jasmine kissed him one last time and then waved bye. Warrick watched her until he couldn't see her anymore, then went inside to clean up his kitchen.   
  
Grissom, Catherine, and Lindsey were in the hospital waiting for Warrick to arrive. They all wanted to be there when Nick was released. Lindsey had a card and a teddy bear in her hand. She was the first to notice that Warrick had walked in. "Uncle Warrick!" She ran over to him and he bent down to give her a hug.   
  
"Hey Linds. How's it going?"  
  
"Good, I'm out of school now!" She arranged the card and the bear in her left hand and used her other hand to hold his hand. She walked him back toward Grissom and Catherine. "Hey guys." Warrick greeted them.  
  
"Hey Warrick." Grissom and Catherine replied at the same time. They walked together to Nick's room. Grissom knocked on the door and he heard Nick's voice telling him to come in. Sara was sitting on the chair next to Nick's bed and he was dressed in his normal clothes sitting on the bed. Warrick was the first to speak. "Hey Nick, how are feeling?"  
  
"Much better, thanks."  
  
Lindsey ran over to him. "Uncle Nick, look what I got you." She handed him the card. Nick smiled and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Linds." He opened the card and noticed it was a get-well card signed by everyone from the night shift and Lindsey. "I love it." He told her.   
  
"Wait, I also got you this." She handed him the bear. "I made it myself. I went to build a bear and made him. He has a heart inside him that I picked out and I made a wish for you to get better."  
  
Nick took the bear from her and smiled. "Thanks, I love him. Does he have a name?"  
  
"I had to pick a name and I wasn't sure what you would like so I asked mommy. She said that I should call him Lucky, but I don't like that name. So I named him Sammy. Is that okay?"  
  
Nick smiled. "Sammy's fine, but where did that name came from?"  
  
"I just like that name."  
  
He laughed. "Sammy it is."   
  
Sara smiled. "Can I see him?" She asked and Nick handed it over to her. She looked at the bear and noticed that it was brown and it had on a white t-shirt that said Texas on it. She couldn't help but smile. "I know exactly where Sammy will go." She told Lindsey.   
  
"Cool." Lindsey walked over to Sara and sat down on her lap. She took the bear out of Sara's hands and held on to it.   
  
"So, when do you get to leave?" Grissom asked.  
  
"As soon as the doctor gets here and lets me." Nick answered him.  
  
"We'll be glad to have you back at work." Catherine told him. "It's not quite the same without you."  
  
"Thanks Cath. I'll be glad to be back."  
  
The doctor walked in and noticed that all of Nick's friends were there. "Hey everyone." He greeted them. He then focused on Nick. "I guess you're ready to get out of here."  
  
"I'm more than ready."  
  
"Well, you're officially released."  
  
Nick stood up. "Thanks doc." He shook the man's hand and then watched as the doctor left. Lindsey hopped off Sara and went over to her mother. Sara stood up and was beside Nick. They all walked out of the room and headed for the parking lot. Once they got there, Grissom looked at Nick. "You're not working tonight, so I better not see you there."  
  
"But, I'm fine."  
  
"Nick, you need more rest. You're not coming in. If you feel better tomorrow than we'll talk."  
  
Realizing he won't win this argument, Nick nodded. "Okay. No work for me."  
  
"Good." Grissom then focused on the rest of his team. "I expect the rest of you on time tonight."  
  
"Yeah, we'll be there." Warrick told him.   
  
Grissom's cell phone rang and he pulled it out. "Grissom."  
  
"It's Calloway. I have new information on our case."  
  
"Really? What kind?" The others focused on what Grissom was saying.  
  
"Seems like we have another suspect in our shooting case."  
  
"That's great. We'll be in soon." He hung up the phone and relayed the message.   
  
Warrick smiled. "Then let's go." He wanted this case to be over just like everyone else did.  
  
"Wait, what about Lindsey?" Catherine asked.   
  
"She can come home with me." Nick volunteered. "That is if she wants to."  
  
Lindsey quickly nodded her head. "Yeah. Can I mom?"  
  
Catherine exhaled. "I don't know honey. Nick just got out of the hospital."  
  
"Please." Her little girl begged.  
  
Catherine looked at Nick. "It's up to you, Nick. If you think you can handle her for a few hours."  
  
"I would love to."   
  
"Okay." She turned to her daughter. "Listen to Nick."  
  
"I will." She ran over to Nick and grabbed his hand.   
  
Grissom looked at Sara. "Sara, go home with Nick."  
  
Sara wasn't sure how she should respond. One part of her wanted to go with Nick, and the other wanted to face the man who might have shot her fiancé. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, Calloway's team is there and I only need a few of us."  
  
"Okay." Sara waved good-bye to them and walked to her Tahoe with Lindsey and Nick right behind her. Lindsey hopped in the backseat and called out. "Love you mommy! Bye Uncle Warrick, bye Mr. Grissom!"  
  
"Love you too sweetie." Catherine called back and smiled as she watched the Tahoe pull out of the parking lot. She turned to the men before her. "Well gentlemen, let's get this over with."  
  
Grissom met Calloway in the hallway in front of the interrogation room. Catherine and Warrick were standing right behind him. "How did you find out about our new suspect?"  
  
"Kane told me." Calloway responded calmly.  
  
"Really?" Grissom seemed quite shocked considering the man was hell bent on not saying a word. "What changed his mind?"  
  
Brass walked up and answered for Calloway. "He just found out his girl was cheating on him."  
  
Catherine gave Brass a blank expression. "Excuse me, I missed the correlation. What does the girlfriend have to do with anything?"  
  
"Angelique Knight. Does that name ring a bell?"  
  
"Yeah, that's Devon's girlfriend." Warrick answered.   
  
"Seems to me like she's everyone's girlfriend." Brass told him. "Anyway, to answer your question Cath, Angelique was involved with Kane's best friend. She came by earlier and dumped Kane. Needless to say, he was mad."  
  
"Let me get this straight, Kane's best friend is our third shooter?" Grissom asked.  
  
"According to Kane, he is. We're fixing to have a talk with his friend now." Calloway responded. He opened the door to the interrogation room and walked in. Brass, Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick followed in behind. Brass was the first to speak. "Jason Damon. How nice of you to join us."  
  
Jason glanced up at the people in the room. "Why am I here?"  
  
"You're friends with Kane Siever correct?"  
  
"I guess. What's that got to do with anything?" Jason's icy blue eyes focused on Brass.   
  
"Do you own a gun?" Calloway asked.  
  
"Doesn't about everyone?"  
  
"Where is it?"  
  
"I don't know, someone stole it."  
  
"Did they steal it, or did you just throw it away?" Brass commented making a mental note that Jason looked very uncomfortable and in his opinion guilty.  
  
"Where were you yesterday morning?" Grissom replied joining the questioning.  
  
"You're the cops, why don't you tell me?" Jason said with a slightly agitated demeanor.   
  
"I'm not a cop, I'm a forensic scientist. Do you have the clothes you wore early yesterday?"  
  
"Of course I do. Why?"  
  
Brass was getting impatient. "All right, enough with this." He looked directly at Jason. "You were involved with the shooting yesterday. Weren't you? And before you decide to lie to me, I have a witness that said you were."  
  
Jason shot Brass a glare. "You have no forensic evidence. You don't have my weapon, so you can't compare bullets."  
  
"Maybe not, but we can get a warrant for your clothes and then test to see if they have GSR on them."   
  
"So, that still doesn't prove anything and if your witness is Kane, well he's not very reliable."  
  
Before anyone could ask another question, Brass's phone rang. "Brass." He paused listening to the person on the other end. "That's great news. Thanks." Brass hung up the phone and smiled at Jason. "One of the cops just woke up and guess what. He just told me about you."  
  
Jason couldn't believe it. His face went deep crimson and slammed his fists on the table. "Dammit! It was Carmer, wasn't it? I thought I killed that son of a bitch."   
  
Needing no further proof and deciding not to tell Jason the truth about Carmer, Brass had Jason arrested. Calloway turned to Grissom and smiled. He walked out of the room, with Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick following him. Calloway turned to face Grissom. "It was a pleasure working with you, Grissom."  
  
Grissom smiled. "Thanks for your help." They shook hands and Calloway told Catherine and Warrick good-bye. Grissom watched as he walked off. Warrick was the first to comment. "I like him a whole lot better than Eckley."  
  
"Amen." Catherine commented.   
  
"Let's go home and get some rest. We've got shift tonight." Grissom told them. Catherine nodded. "Yeah and I've got to go pick up Lindsey. I'm sure Nick and Sara are ready to give her back."  
  
Warrick decided that he was going to go ahead and leave and give the two some private time. "See you guys tonight."  
  
"Bye Warrick." They responded and watched as the younger CSI walked down the hall. Grissom turned his attention on Catherine. He reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'm glad that's over."  
  
"Me too." They walked hand in hand toward the parking lot. When they reached Catherine's car, she leaned against the door. "So, when are we taking that vacation?"  
  
"How does next week sound?"  
  
"Seriously?"   
  
He nodded his head. "I've already made reservations."  
  
"I can't believe it. Who's going to help the others?"  
  
"Calloway said that he would loan us a few of his people." Grissom put his arms around her waist. "So, I would start getting your stuff packed."  
  
Catherine placed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. "Consider them packed." She then brought her lips to his. Grissom was the one to pull them apart. "I guess I'll see you tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, you will." She kissed him once more and then opened the door of her car. "I love you Gil."  
  
"I love you too, Cath." Catherine got in the car and Grissom closed the door for her. He waited until she drove off to go to his car. He smiled the whole way home, wishing it were vacation time already.  
  
Nick and Lindsey were sitting on the couch watching a DVD and eating popcorn. Sara was in the kitchen getting them some more drinks. "Come on Sara, the best part is coming on!" Lindsey called out.  
  
Sara came back in the living room and placed the drinks on the table. She sat down on the couch beside Lindsey. She found herself watching the faces of Nick and Lindsey, rather than watching the movie. The little girl was between them and she had her arm around Nick's. The bear was sitting between Lindsey and Nick. Nick would occasionally put his arm around Lindsey and they would both laugh at the funny parts on television. Deep down in Sara's heart, she knew that this is what she wanted. She wanted a family. She had never really thought about having a family before, but Nick had opened up a new world to her. She wondered how she was able to survive without him in her life. Nick could feel Sara staring at him. He glanced over and smiled at her. She gave him her famous gap toothed smile back. A knock at the door got both of their attentions. "I'll get it." Sara volunteered and went to the door. She opened it and let Catherine in. "Hey, Lindsey and Nick are watching Scooby-Doo."  
  
Catherine sighed. "She's only watched that movie a hundred times."  
  
Sara laughed. "Well now it's a hundred and one."   
  
Catherine walked in the living room and grinned. "Hey Lindsey, ready to go home?"  
  
Lindsey looked up at her mom. "Hey mommy. I don't want to go home. Can I spend the night with Nick and Sara?"  
  
"Sara has to go to work tonight honey."  
  
"Nick doesn't. Besides we're watching Scooby." Lindsey turned her attention back to the tv before her.  
  
Catherine looked over at Sara, as if asking for help. Sara sort of shrugged and walked to the couch. "Lindsey, it's up to Nick if you can spend the night. You have to ask him."  
  
Lindsey turned to look at Nick. "Please Uncle Nick." She begged. "I'll be really good and I can bring you water and stuff tonight if you need it since Sara's not going to be here."  
  
Nick looked down at her. "I don't mind, but it's up to your mom."  
  
Lindsey focused back on her mother. Before she could beg, Catherine held her hands up. "Not tonight Lindsey, besides you need to go home and start packing."  
  
"Packing for what?"  
  
"Our trip to the beach with Grissom."  
  
Lindsey began to grin really big. "When are we going?"  
  
"Next week."  
  
Her daughter began jumping up and down and screaming.   
  
"Calm down, sweetie. Give Nick and Sara a hug and tell them thank you for letting you stay."  
  
"Okay." Lindsey went to Nick first. "Bye Uncle Nick. Take care of Sammy." She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Bye Lindsey, you behave."  
  
"I always behave."  
  
Catherine would have choked on that comment if she had been drinking or eating. She fought the urge to say yeah right and watched as Lindsey made her way to Sara. She gave Sara a hug. "Bye Sara. Thanks for everything."  
  
"You're welcome. Have fun."  
  
Catherine thanked them both again and left with her daughter. Once they were gone, Sara locked the door and went back to the living room. She noticed that Nick was no longer in there. She walked in the kitchen to find him putting the glasses in the sink. "I was wondering where you went."  
  
Nick walked over to her and put his hands on her waist. "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
Nick leaned in and kissed her. He pulled away from her after a few moments. "I think you better get some rest. You do have work tonight."  
  
"Are you going to tuck me in?" Sara asked teasingly.   
  
"Of course." Nick took her hand and walked with her to the bedroom. Sara released his hand and pulled the sheets down. She reached in the drawer beside the bed and grabbed some pajamas to wear. "I'll be back." She took the clothes and went into the bathroom. She changed and brushed her teeth and washed her face. After placing her other clothes in the hamper, she walked back in the bedroom. Nick was already lying in bed waiting for her. She crawled in and got beside him. He placed his arm around her shoulder pulling her to his chest. She placed her head against him and listened to his heart beating. "I was watching you with Lindsey. I couldn't help but think about what it would be like if we had kids." She told him after a few minutes of silence.  
  
Nick was tracing circles on her bare arm. "I was thinking of that too." He watched as she pulled herself up. He could see nothing but love pooling out of her eyes.  
  
"I can't wait to start our family."  
  
"Me neither." He kissed her on the forehead. "I guess that means the wedding date is getting pushed up."  
  
"When do you want to get married?"  
  
"How about when Grissom and Catherine come back from their vacation? We could get married the Saturday after."  
  
Sara smiled. "Sounds good to me." She would have looked on the calendar to see what date that Saturday was, but she was too comfortable. "I'll tell Catherine, if you want to call Warrick and tell him later."  
  
"Deal. Then you can tell Grissom and Greg and I'll call my parents."  
  
"Sounds good." Sara put her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. "I love you Nick."  
  
"I love you too Sara." He leaned over and kissed her forehead and soon both were sound asleep.  
  
~Finished~ 


End file.
